awol

A1W4O1L1
US/ˈeɪ̯.wɔl/US/ˈeɪ̯.wɑl/Philippines/ˈʔɐ.wɔl/

adjective

Absent without official leave (permission).

“The Army had a lot of AWOL soldiers.”

Similar
French leaveUAno-call-no-showtruantabsent
Less commonScrabble 7
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Meanings

awol1

adjectiveawol (not comparable)
  1. not comparableAlternative letter-case form of AWOL.

    Back in the city's littered bivouac he walked among the tenements of home like an awol private returning to barracks from which his old outfit had long ago convoyed and scattered for keeps.

    1949, Nelson Algren, The Man with the Golden Arm
nounawol (plural awols)

plural awols

  1. Alternative letter-case form of AWOL.

AWOL2

adjectiveAWOL (not comparable)

alternative awol · alternative a.w.o.l. · alternative A.W.O.L.

  1. not comparableAbsent without official leave (permission).

    The Army had a lot of AWOL soldiers.

nounAWOL (plural AWOLs)

plural AWOLs · alternative awol · alternative a.w.o.l. · alternative A.W.O.L.

  1. governmentAbsence without proper authority from the properly appointed place of duty, or from unit, organization, or other place of duty at which one is required to be at the time prescribed.
  2. governmentA person who holds AWOL status.
  3. broadlySomebody who is absent without permission.

    Synonyms: French leave, UA, French leave, no-call-no-show

  4. figurativelySomeone or something missing.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSomebody who is absent without permission.

Similar
French leaveUAFrench leaveno-call-no-show

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveabsent without permission

Similar
truantabsent
Also see
absentfrench leavetruant

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Acronym of absent without official leave, originally used in the United States military.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish luvaton poissaolo, puntis
  • luvaton poissaolomilitary: absence without proper authority
  • puntismilitary: absence without proper authority
  • punttaajamilitary: person who holds AWOL status
  • lintsarigeneric: one who is absent without permission
French absent sans autorisation, absent irrégulier
  • absent sans autorisationabsent without permission
  • absent irrégulierabsent without permission
  • en absence irrégulièreabsent without permission
  • absence irrégulièremilitary: absence without proper authority
  • ABSIRmilitary: absence without proper authority
  • absent irréguliermilitary: person who holds AWOL status
  • absent sans autorisationmilitary: person who holds AWOL status
  • porté disparufiguratively: someone or something missing
German unerlaubt abwesend, eigenmächtig abwesend
  • unerlaubt abwesendabsent without permission
  • eigenmächtig abwesendabsent without permission
  • unentschuldigt fehlendabsent without permission
  • unerlaubte Entfernung f unerlaubte Entfernung von der Truppemilitary: absence without proper authority
  • unerlaubte Abwesenheitmilitary: absence without proper authority
  • unerlaubte Abwesenheit von der Truppemilitary: absence without proper authority
  • Fahnenflüchtigermilitary: person who holds AWOL status
  • Fahnenflüchtigemilitary: person who holds AWOL status
  • unerlaubt Abwesendergeneric: one who is absent without permission
Italian assente senza permesso, assente senza permesso
  • assente senza permessoabsent without permission
  • assente senza permessogeneric: one who is absent without permission
  • assente ingiustificatogeneric: one who is absent without permission
Norwegian Bokmål tyvperm, tjuvperm
  • tyvpermmilitary: absence without proper authority
  • tjuvpermmilitary: absence without proper authority
Polish nieobecny bez zezwolenia
  • nieobecny bez zezwoleniaabsent without permission
Portuguese ausente sem permissão, desertor
  • ausente sem permissãoabsent without permission
  • desertormilitary: absence without proper authority
Russian в самово́льной отлу́чке, в самово́лке
  • в самово́льной отлу́чке (v samovólʹnoj otlúčke)absent without permission
  • в самово́лке (v samovólke)absent without permission
  • самово́льная отлу́чка (samovólʹnaja otlúčka)military: absence without proper authority
  • самово́льное увольне́ние (samovólʹnoje uvolʹnénije)military: absence without proper authority
  • самово́лка (samovólka)military: absence without proper authority
  • самохо́д (samoxód)military: absence without proper authority
Spanish ausente sin permiso, ausente sin licencia
  • ausente sin permisoabsent without permission
  • ausente sin licenciamilitary: absence without proper authority
  • desertormilitary: absence without proper authority
  • desertoramilitary: absence without proper authority
  • desertormilitary: person who holds AWOL status
Swedish bondpermission, frånvaro utan giltig orsak
  • bondpermissionmilitary: absence without proper authority
  • frånvaro utan giltig orsakmilitary: absence without proper authority
Ukrainian СЗЧ, самовільне залишення частини
  • СЗЧ (SZČ)absent without permission
  • самовільне залишення частини (samovilʹne zalyšennja častyny)absent without permission

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

alow
Cite this entry
APA

awol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awol

MLA

“awol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awol. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “awol,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/awol.

Source: awol on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.